History of Shadowbane
Shadowbane was a free fantasy role-playing video game (MMORPG) created by Wolfpack Studios and published on March 25, 2003 by Ubisoft for Windows and Mac platforms. Originally commercial and subscription-driven, Shadowbane was launched in March 2003, and was the creation of text-MUD veterans J. Todd Coleman, James Nance, Josef Hall, Patrick Blanton and Robert Marsa and a team of 45 programmers, designers, artists and featured music by composer David Beaupre. It closed on July 1, 2009.
Shadowbane was a top-10 best selling PC game at launch, and had two noteworthy aspects. First, the majority of the game world allowed for open player versus player combat, making it an early pioneer title in the PvP MMO genre. Second, it was the first major MMO to offer dynamic world content as a primary feature of the game. Most MMOs are static, meaning the world itself does not change based on player actions. Dynamic worlds allow player to change the game world itself; morphing terrain, building and destroying buildings and fortifications, and setting up patrol paths for player-hired AI combatants. The game was considered a "cult hit" and sustained a small base of followers, but technical issues plagued the game at launch and failed to retain much of the early fanbase shortly afterward.
After the sale of Wolfpack Studios to Ubi Soft in March 2004, the live service was transitioned to a new management and (largely new) development team, led by Frank Lucero and Ala Diaz. This team later splintered off to become Stray Bullet Games in June 2006, and Mark Nuasha was brought in to run the organization. On March 15, 2006 the game was made free-to-play. A system of short ads was introduced on March 6, 2007 to fund operating costs, which are displayed when the game is opened or closed and when a character dies (with at least 10 minutes between death ads).[1] On March 19, 2008, all servers were closed to prepare for the "Shadowbane Reboot," a relaunching of the game to capitalize on stability and performance gains hindered by previously existing data.[2] All player characters and cities were deleted in this reboot. On March 25, 2008, the fifth anniversary of the game's launch, two servers were brought online followed by a third due to overpopulation.[3] The game was closed the following July.
The regular game took place in a dark fantasy world called Aerynth (the world will sometimes depend on the servers, many of which have unique world maps). Gameplay features many aspects typical of role-playing video games, such as experience points, character classes, and fantasy races. Character creation was fairly extensive, allowing for detailed, differentiate characters to be created.
Gameplay
Shadowbane was notable for emphasizing player-versus-player combat, implementing non-conventional races and specializing in siege warfare (players building cities and trying to raze enemy players' cities) whereas a significant number of MMORPGs released since Ultima Online usually restrict player killing to certain areas of the game or special dedicated PvP servers. The game also featured a seamless world map, and made no use of instancing.
Players were also allowed to own cities and capitals and most of the property and cities in Shadowbane were player owned. In effect, Shadowbane's war status was decided by the players rather than the game company. Whether a guild city went to war with another guild city was entirely up to the leaders. A government system was also implemented in the game. It ensured players were in total control of the Shadowbane world.
Though there were no quests in the game, Shadowbane featured PVP, Nation, and Siege Warfare systems, which offered players a wide range of in-game opportunities.
Transportation
The basic mode of transportation is by foot or by flight. Running and flight will use up your stamina and will have to be replenished during your trip if it is a far distance. The maps are open world so without other means of transportation available you always have the option of running. This is made easier with the implementation of a Traveling Stance spell and a sprint spell both of which are granted at level one. Some other classes offer different run speed enhancement spells. Throughout the Shadowbane world the player could interact with NPCs called runemasters, these NPCs allowed the player to teleport him or herself to a number of different cities across the world, also scattered across the world map were runegates which a player could use to the same effect as a runemaster. There was also a fairly unique ability implemented in Shadowbane that healer based classes could access allowing one to summon, or transport, a player character to their location within only a few moments via a spell. There are also items purchaseable from sage NPC's called scrolls of recall that will teleport your character to the Tree of Life you are bound to. All mage classes also are granted a personal recall spell, and wizards are granted a group recall spell.
Currency
Gold is the basic form of trade-able currency in the game. You acquire gold through the defeat of NPC Mobs and the sale of items you collect to vendors located in both NPC cities and player owned cities. The NPC cities offer you a safe, quick and convenient way to sell your items but are locked to a specific payout table. Player cities however can set their vendor payouts to different scales. While player cities offer the chance at a higher gold value for items you also run the risk of being hunted down within these cities. The player controlled vendors also are what craft different gear to be sold on them. You can set them to be random rolled stats payed for be gold on the vendor or specific stat sets paid for by resources gathered and held on a guild warehouse. You are also able to set prices for items you complete or that you place on said vendors.

First things First......Character Creation
Shadowbane is a PVP driven type of a game that your entire build and plan for your character will determine your ultimate success or failure. You start out by none other than character creation. This is a feat all in its own. Due to Shadowbane's creation system you not only choose race, character role, and looks, but also you choose starting stats in the form of runes. As far as playable races, you got plenty of choices;
Aelfborn (half elves)
Aracoix (bird man....and yes you do fly too)
Centaur
Dwarf
Elf
Half Giant
Human
Irekei (desert dweller)
Minotaur
Nephilim (demon with flight)
Shades (white skinned humanoids)
Vampire
Each race has its own burned in special ability. for example; aelfborn cannot be snared, minotaur cannot be stunned, shade cannot be blinded...ect. This makes you think about what race you want your character to be even more.
After you have a race nailed down you choose a profession. The starter professions are;
Fighter
Healer
Rouge
Mage
Not every race can be every profession and not every profession can be any class. even more food for thought on your decision. More about the classes later.
Then comes your starting stats. These come in 2 forms. Your starting basic stats, and augmented stats in the form of runes. Some runes give the obvious of more health, dexterity, strength, intelligence, and mana, but some to the extent of having a little more defense or attack rating, different weapon mastery, to being able to run faster. Infinite possibility combinations exist all depending on what you want your character to do. And to be honest...some of the wackiest ideas you can think of wind up being the most fun.
Next is your initial play set. this varies from profession to profession, but most are just standard clothes with different types of weapons and shields.
Last but not least, choose your name, First and Last Name with the first name being the only one having to be unique.
First bit of gameplay.
After hours of sitting in front of a creation screen making sure you got all your things lined out you head into the world of Aerynth for the first time. You start out on a low level island with plenty to kill around you. You are also safe from PvP on this "Noob Isle." It is a very easy play style to pick up on; click to move, tab/click targeting, and click/hotkey powers. Like most games, you start out killing the Infamous Spiders and Goblin type mobs. ans slowly work your way up to bigger better enemies. It is very possible to solo your way through the entire level system, but so much more fun in groups. Every time you level up you get training points and stat points. The stat points go into your strength, intel, spirit, con, and dex, and the training points you have to visit a trainer to spend these on skills and proficiency. Most dump all their starting training into weapon mastery and armor classes, but once again the possibilities are endless on what you want.
Classes
Once you reached level 10 on noob isle you have to choose a class. class choices are narrowed depending on what race, starting profession, and even gender. The entire list (broken down by starting profession) includes;
Assassin (Rouge/Mage)
Barbarian (Fighter/Rouge)
Bard (Rouge/Mage)
Channeler (Healer/Mage)
Confessor (Healer)
Crusader (Healer/Fighter)
Doomsayer (Healer/Mage)
Druid (Healer)
Fury (Female Mage only)
Huntress (Female Fighter/Rouge)
Necromancer (Mage)
Nightstalker (Rouge)
Prelate (Healer)
Priest (Healer)
Ranger (Fighter/Rouge)
Scout (Rouge)
Sentinel (Fighter)
Templar (Fighter)
Thief (Rouge)
Warlock (Fighter/Mage)
Warrior (Fighter)
Wizard (Mage)
So many choices with so many different abilities....do some research it helps, or just wing it and hope for the best. Unless built to a template, there are also infinite ways you can differentiate your character from any other depending on how many training points you allocate and where.
Into the Real World
You get kicked out of the noob isle guild at level 22 and therefore become errent (one without a guild) if you die at this point you go to a grave yard spawning site in the main land and are eligible for PVP. If you make it off alive you visit a runemaster in town and pledge yourself to a lowbie city. Depending on the mapset there are 3-4 different zones for you to pledge to. in the beta there is only one mapset and only two starting cities. You must choose one, or be tagged to a guild tree in order to stay out of the heavily camped graveyard sites. Unfortunately these are disabled so far in the beta. Once you chose your city, it is off to level. the world is split into different leveling zones with different mobs in camps inside of them. Like stated in the beginning this is an open world map so take off running. your patience is your only limitation on what zone you want to hit up, Pick a camp, and KILL KILL KILL!! Oh i forgot to mention watch out for the griefers too. You will always find a max level character out wiping lowbies off their blades in the lower zones too. The main reason for this (other than the I want to be a griefer mindset) is discipline runes. More on these later as well.
Discipline/Stat Runes
Three basic runes drop in the world. Stat runes augment your maximum cap of individual stats, while proficiency runes give different weapon mastery skills, then there is the discipline runes. There are tons of discipline runes you can gather through different camps in the world, the only hindrance is you HAVE to be level 20 to apply the runes, and generally have to be about level 40 to kill the dropper mobs. These runes are once again restricted to races, classes, professions, and gender. You can apply 3 different disciplines from level 20-level 74. at level 75 you unlock a 4th discipline slot. Choose your disciplines wisely because it cost gold to remove them and the rune is destroyed in the process. The different disciplines grant specific powers, proficiency, and abilities. The complete list is as follows;
Animator
Archer
Archmage
Artillerist
Battle Magus
Belgosch
Berserker
Black Mask
Blade Master
Blade Weaver
Blood Horn
Blood Prophet
Bounty Hunter
Clanwarden
Commander
Conjurer
Dark Knight
Darksworn
Drannok
Enchanter
Forge Master
Giant Killer
Gladiator
Gorgoi
Huntsman
Knight
Prospector
Rat Catcher
Rune Caster
Saboteur
Sanctifier
Sapper
Savant
Shroudborne
Skydancer
Storm Lord
Strigoi
Summoner
Sun Dancer
Thrall
Traveler
Undead Hunter
Valkyr
Werebear
Wererat
Werewolf
Wyrmslayer
The best information on these discipline runes is found on the SBEMU specific, Morloch Wiki page. It gives more detail on whom can take what, and what powers/abilities each rune gives.
This game is a blast. Plenty of PvP to go around, oh and you get exp. points for PvP too! Lots of dynamic and unique characters, as well as play styles. This little blog only covers one aspect of this game....Your Character. There is still so much more for me to try and convey about the depth of this game, so stay tuned.

I have been following the SBEMU project from the beginning, and have been dabbling on there every now and again. This is the game that brought me into MMO's and there has always been a special place for it with me. They have opened up the Closed beta to everyone for server stress tests. Go to www.sbemu.com for all the info or just get ahold of me if you would like to come and play. If you have never played shadowbane, it is a low graphic sandbox game with infinite ways to build your characters, mining fights, city building, city raids (to the extent of total destruction and capture), and a lot of fun. I suggest yall give it a try.

well great..my phone will not charge....guess its no phone for me for a while as Asurion (insurance) said I go through too many dang phones and cancelled it. I could upgrade, but then id have to change my plan and loose my unlimited internet....ughh